Speaking during the company’s recent quarterly earnings call, when asked about how Two-Two Interactive goes about deciding when a tentpole release like Grand Theft Auto 6 will release, CEO Strauss Zelnick said that above all else, what Rockstar Games is aiming for is “perfection”, and though there is “inherent tension” between wanting to make a great game and wanting to get it out on sale, Rockstar tends to lean towards the latter.

“We’re seeking perfection, and when we feel we’ve optimized creatively, that’s the time to release,” Zelnick said (via Wccftech). “And we’re all in this together. In terms of motivations and incentives, the financial incentives of everyone who works at this company are aligned with those of the shareholders.”

He added: “There’s inherent tension – potentially – between getting something to market and creating perfection, but this company errs on the side of perfection.”

Zelnick also touched on the anticipation surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6’s release, and what Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar’s expectations are for how that will translate to sales. He said that though anticipation for GTA 6 certainly seems much higher than it was for GTA 5, given the latter’s tremendous sales – having sold over 195 million units worldwide – Take-Two is stopping “well short of making predictions” about how GTA 6 will sell.

“Our sense is that the anticipation [for GTA 6] is much higher – much, much higher,” he said (via GamesRadar). “On the other hand, you know, 195 million units [of GTA 5 sold] to date is nothing to sneeze at. We stop well short of making predictions about how the title will do, but clearly anticipation is running very, very high.”

Predicting how Grand Theft Auto 6 will sell in comparison to its predecessor may very well be a fool’s errand, but there’s certainly no doubt that anticipation surrounding it is higher than it ever was for any past instalment in the series- not just because it’s a new GTA game, but also because it’s been so long since the last one came out.

For instance, Grand Theft Auto 6’s reveal trailer had more views on YouTube in its first day than GTA 5’s debut trailer had in 12 years. In December, the trailer had gone on to surpass 150 million views, and at the time of writing, it sits at 174 million views.

Whenever Grand Theft Auto 6, it will be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with no word yet on when a PC version will arrive.

Recent leaks, however, have claimed that at least Persona 3 FES’ The Answer – which was an additional story chapter focused on the character Aigis that was roughly 30 hours long – will be coming to the remake as post-launch DLC, and a new datamining leak seems to be corroborating that.

As shared on Twitter by @ruinedsteg0, files found in Persona 3 Reload contain references to “Episode Aigis” and “Episode Aigis BGM Set”, suggesting that some work has been done on Persona 3 FES content for the remake.

As per the datamine leak, Persona 3 Reload will have a full Expansion Pass, entailing six DLC pieces. In addition to the two aforementioned FES DLC pieces, the rest will include new items, costumes, and music, including costumes and music from Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal.

If this is indeed the post-launch plan Atlus has in place for Persona 3 Reload, it will be a notable shift for the series, which has, in the past, traditionally chosen to add new content through entirely new and full-priced re-releases of games, rather than as downloadable additions for released titles. Recently, Atlus also confirmed that it isn’t planning on releasing a Persona 5 Royal-style expanded version of Persona 3 Reload.

Persona 3 Reload is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Leaks have claimed that Atlus also intends to bring it to Nintendo’s rumoured next-gen console.

There will be 6 new pieces of DLC for #P3R #Persona3Reload
*Exploration Item Set
*P4G EX BGM Set
*P5R EX BGM Set
*Velvet Room Costume Set
*Velvet Room BGM Set
*Episode Aigis / The Answer
*Episode Aigis BGM Set

All seemingly under the name "P3R Expansion Pass" pic.twitter.com/g6F6Q1uO3a

— ruinedsteg0 (@ruinedstego) February 3, 2024

In a recently published quarterly fiscal report, Starbreeze Studios CEO Tobias Sjögren said that Payday 3’s initial sales upon launch exceeded the developer’s expectations. He did, however, acknowledge that the game had a troubled launch, which, according to him, has resulted in slows slowing down since that initial period.

“Both interest in the game and initial sales exceeded our expectations, it was clear that many people have been waiting a long time to play Payday 3,” Sjögren said. “Unfortunately, it quickly became evident that the infrastructure on which the game rests was not holding up – this despite extensive internal and external tests carried out leading up to launch. The consequence is that sales after the period are somewhat lower, but we are convinced that what we have in store will increase sales over time.”

Sjögren went on to say that Starbreeze Studios plans to stick to its live service plans for Payday 3, and with future updates, will be able to “repair the short-term drop in confidence that the launch entailed”. He also reiterated that as of September 30, the game had already sold enough to recoup its development costs, as previously confirmed by Embracer Group.

“The team’s focus is, and will continue to be, building Payday 3 according to plan and repairing the short-term drop in confidence that the launch entailed,” he said. “That Payday 3, at September 30 based on preliminary total revenue, had recouped the investment Starbreeze made in the game up until launch shows both the strength of the brand and the trust placed in us from our players. One of our most important tasks is to manage and nurture this trust in us. We have a clear vision for what Payday 3 will be with our Games as a Service model, and we continue according to our plan where the goal is to always deliver maximum value for our players over time and results for Starbreeze.”

Payday 3 received its first patch earlier this month after multiple delays, bringing over 100 fixes. Its next free update is set to arrive later this month, and will be adding two new legacy heists, fixes for the progression system, and more.

Payday 3 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It was played by over 3.1 million people in September. You can read our review of the game through here.

The multiplayer horror title goes live at 7 AM PDT/10 AM ET on August 18th. Sydney, Australia, will need to wait till August 19th, midnight local time to access the game. System requirements for all configurations include 30 GB of installation space and Windows 10 with at least 8 GB of RAM necessary.

As for crossplay, Steam, Windows Store, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S can match with each other. However, PS4 and Xbox One players can’t and must play with those on the same platforms. Time will tell if this changes, so stay tuned for updates.

Check out our feature for more details on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It will also be available on GeForce Now and Game Pass at launch.

As previously confirmed, on PS5 and Xbox Series X, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will feature a Performance Mode that will run at a dynamic 1080p and 60 FPS. Meanwhile, players will also have the option to opt for Quality Mode, which will run at 4K and 30 FPS. On Xbox Series S, on the other hand, it will run at a dynamic 4K and 30 FPS, with no 60 FPS option included.

Where last-gen consoles are concerned, base PS4 and Xbox One players can expect the game to run at 1080p and 30 FPS. There’s no specific details revealed on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro numbers.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is set to launch on August 18 for PC and consoles. You can check out its PC requirements through here.

Here are the Console Graphics and Modes for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: pic.twitter.com/n6VvpowbTF

— The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (@TXChainSawGame) August 9, 2023

STORY AND SETUP

As a multiplayer-centric experience, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is obviously not going to be too bothered with the narrative side of things, but what exactly is its basic story premise? The game will feature a number of killer characters as well as many of their victims, with Ana Flores being one of a handful in the latter group. The central premise revolves around the victim characters searching for Maria Flores, Ana’s missing sister.

GAMEPLAY PREMISE

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is promising an assymetrical multiplayer experience, something that Dead by Daylight fans will be more than familiar with, and there’s plenty of other familiar stuff that’ll go hand-in-had with that core premise. Victim characters will be tasked with sneaking their way through maps, avoiding traps, and ultimately escaping alive, while killer characters will conversely have to ensure that they can find and kill all the victims before they can escape. Interestingly, however, one thing that does promise to set the game apart from its competition (at least on paper) is that it’s going to be a 4v3 game, with three killers working together to hunt down the victims, rather than the 4v1 affair Dead by Daylight players will be used to. Killer characters will also be tasked with collecting blood for an all-seeing NPC character named Grandpa, who will continuously become more useful to you as you bring him more blood. Blood can not only be found scattered across the map, but will also be gained through interactions with victims.

KILLER CHARACTERS

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will let players play as one of a handful of killer characters, all members of the Slaughter Family. At launch, the game will feature five options in this area. Three of these will be plenty familiar to fans of the property (or even the genre), those being Leatherface, the Cook, and the Hitchhiker, with Kane Hodder and Edwin Neal reprising their roles as Leatherface and the Hitchhiker respectively. In addition, the game will also feature two Family characters who will be completely new introductions for the franchise.

VICTIM CHARACTERS

On the other hand, the victim characters that players will be playing as in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will all be completely new characters created just for the game. The five options available to players will be Ana, Leland, Sonny, Connie, and Julie. As you’d expect, not only will all five have their own unique personalities and backstories, they will also offer different things when it comes to gameplay.

FAMILY ABILITIES

Coming to the actual moment-to-moment gameplay aspects, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will, of course, offering varying abilities and other attributes depending on who you’re playing as. For instance, each killer in the Family will have a unique ability. The Cook’s Seek ability will allow you to focus your hearing to listen for particularly noise victim characters and pinpoint their location; the Hitchhiker’s Trap ability will let you place traps made of bones anywhere on the map, alerting you as soon as someone steps into one; Leatherface’s Maim ability will let you whip out your chainsaw and use it however you wish; Johnny’s Hunt ability will allow you to see and track fresh footprints made by victims; and finally, Sissy’s Bane ability will let you craft poisons that can not only be used against victims, but can also contaminate various items and objects scattered throughout the map.

FAMILY ATTRIBUTES

In addition to abilities, each Family member will also have their own unique Attributes that will change the gameplay experience in a variety of ways. Attributes will fall in one of three categories- Endurance, which covers stamina drain and recharge rate; Savagery, which will determine how much damage you do with your melee attacks; and Harvesting, which determines how much blood you collect for Grandpa from victim interactions. Players will be able to tailor their play style how they see fit by gaining Attribute Points and using them in a persistent skill tree to upgrade whichever of the three categories they wish. In addition to Attributes, skill trees will also cover a number of perks.

FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS

Finally, all Family characters will also have unique characteristics that, in addition to abilities and attributes, will further change up your experience depending on which killer you’re playing as. The Cook will be able to close crawl spaces and add additional locks to doors; Leatherface will be able to destroy crawl spaces, barricades, and doors using his chainsaw; the Hitchhiker is a fast-moving character and, in addition to having high Endurance, can easily slip through gaps and crawl spaces; Sissy can do that as well, and can also utilize hiding spots to get the jump on victims; while Johnny can instantly barge doors and close crawl spaces.

VICTIM ABILITIES

Similar to Family characters, victims will all also have their own unique abilities and attributes. Where abilities are concerned, each character will offer different advantages. Connie can use her Focused ability to quickly pick locks without using a lock pick tool, at the cost of stamina and close proximity warnings for killers; Julie can activate her Ultimate Escape ability to prevent killers from tracking her while she sprints with reduced stamina drain for a short window; Ana’s Pain is Nothing ability significantly reduces any damage taken from attacks and falls; Sonny’s Heightened Sense ability can be activated to detect nearby sounds, track movements, and pinpoint locations; and finally, Leland’s Life Saver ability can be used to bump charge a Family member to temporarily stun them.

VICTIM ATTRIBUTES

Victims will have a wider range of attributes than Family characters will, with five categories in total. These will include Stealth, which, as the name suggests, will cover your ability to do things without making too much noise; Strength, which will cover stun durations for sneak attacks and close-quarter grapples; Toughness, which will determine how much damage you can take before being incapacitated and what your recovery time will be; Proficiency, which will determine how effective you are at completing skilled tasks, such as lockpicking; and Endurance, which will cover your stamina and stamina regeneration. Like with Family characters, you’ll also be able to upgrade victims’ Attributes by investing points in the skill tree.

CROSS-PLAY

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will feature support for cross-play and cross-platform progression, but being a cross-gen game, that will come with some caveats. While full cross-progress is supported across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, that will not be the case for those playing on PS4 or Xbox One.

GAME PASS

Publisher Gun Interactive has also announced that when The Texas Chain Saw Massacre launches on August 18 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, it will also be available via Game Pass on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

It was confirmed recently that we’d be getting a “special look” at Dragon Age 4 at The Game Awards this Thursday, December 10, and now BioWare have chimed in over on Twitter to provide some more brief details on the tease.

The developer confirms that we’ll be getting “an early look” at the next Dragon Age game at the awards show later this week. Meanwhile, in that same tweet, they also showed off a little bit of concept art (which seems to be a cropped version of previously seen art), which is accompanied by a new logo for the Dragon Age series, which is a bit bolder (literally) than previous games. Check it out below.

We’ve had a couple of early looks at the upcoming RPG so far. The game was announced at The Game Awards 2018 with a very brief teaser trailer, which was followed by some early development footage earlier this year. It remains to be seen what sort of a showing we’re in for in a few days’ time.

BioWare recently saw some major turnover in staff, with general manager Casey Hudson and Dragon Age executive producer leaving the studio. Read more on that – and how that will impact development on upcoming games – through here.

There’s no word yet on when exactly Dragon Age 4 will launch, but EA have said that it won’t launch until at least after April 1, 2022– so don’t hold your breath.

Dragon Age fans, we have exciting news! Get an early look at the next Dragon Age adventure during #TheGameAwards. pic.twitter.com/6fG61iS7EQ

— BioWare (@bioware) December 7, 2020

Microsoft set up their youngest first party studio, The Initiative, a couple of years ago, and though we know they’re working on a major AAA production, what that production is has been the subject of much speculation. Recent reports have pegged it as a game set in the Perfect Dark universe (but not as a Perfect Dark game per se), and now, new details have possibly emerged on the project.

Recently during The Xbox Two podcast, prominent Xbox insider Rand al’Thor and Windows Central’s Jez Corden spoke about the game, and provided some rather interesting details. As previous leaks have mentioned, The Initiative’s debut game is a game set in the Perfect Dark universe, but isn’t necessarily a Perfect Dark game. It’s supposedly a third person stealth action title with a cyberpunk setting.

And this is where things get really interesting. It doesn’t look like this is going to be the cinematic Naughty Dog-style experience that many have been assuming it will be (contrary to what The Iniative’s recruitments may have led you to believe). The Initiative are apparently taking a seasonal approach to content- not episodic, per se, but with chunks of content released on a seasonal basis, with these seasons likened to Black Mirror episodes, in that they will be independent but connected in the grand scheme of things. Curiously enough, The Initiative’s work is also being likened to Remedy Entertainment’s approach, and being described as “experimental”.

It’s also claimed that we’ll be hearing more about this game soon- perhaps even as early as The Game Awards this Thursday. Recent rumours have indicated that Microsoft will be making an announcement at the show, so it’s certainly a possibility.

As with all rumours, take this with a grain of salt for now. We’ll keep you updated should we learn more, so stay tuned.

It was widely expected that the next game in the Forza Motorsport series would be announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, and Microsoft certainly didn’t disappoint. Interestingly enough, the next game in the racing series seems to be called simply Forza Motorsport, suggesting a new direction for the series- or a fresh start, if nothing else. Either that, or this is just a tentative name.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer also said before premiering the game’s debut trailer that Turn 10 are leveraging the Xbox Series X’s hardware to deliver what looks like a true technical showcase- as Forza games usually do. He also confirmed that the game will run at 4K and 60 frames per second, while ray-tracing will also be supported. Check it out in action with its in-engine trailer below.

Forza Motorsport is currently in early development at Turn 10 Studios, and will release for Xbox Series X, and presumably PC. Whether or not it will launch for Xbox One remains to be seen. No release date for the game was mentioned, but given that it’s in “early” development, it might be a while away.